The Legacy View: A New Art Perspective

The recent legacy art course series, developed and taught by Professor David Brauer, involves not just an exploration of different art styles, but also covers art and its influences within an historical context. The classes also focus on schools of art and major art centers. At present, Brauer is currently wrapping up “The Legacy of Venice” class and will be starting “The Legacy of Rome” class on Oct. 20th. We visited with him to find out more.

WIH Reporter: What is important to know about your legacy classes?

Brauer: Normal art history classes cover a much shorter period of time, and include more detail. Legacy classes involve picking an historical thread, and tracing the artistic influences along a long connecting line.

WIH Reporter: What connecting lines will be followed in your upcoming “The Legacy of Rome” class?

Brauer: The class will, of course, cover the Renaissance and will also include rediscovery and reassessment of classical art. It will start at the beginning, but it will also include paintings in later centuries that show a less obvious line from Michelangelo.

WIH Reporter: What is the main advantage of looking at art through the legacy perspective?

Brauer: Legacy classes view art using a slice of history. This perspective puts works in a context, explaining why works look the way they do and what they have meant to people over time. It involves viewing art through a different prism.

WIH Reporter: What future legacy classes will you be considering?

Brauer: Legacy classes must meet a specific criteria. For instance, one can’t teach a class about the legacy of Florence art, because it dies on the vine around 1600. However, future classes will likely involve the legacy of French art, and also the legacy of Dutch art.

“The Legacy of Rome” is a 6-week class, beginning on October 20th, at 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. For more information, or to register, click here.